Eagle Scout provides disc golf course new amenities

Lindsay CravenStaff Writer

March 5, 2013

The Yadkin County Park has some new additions to its disc golf course thanks to a Lewisville Eagle Scout.

J. Connor Dalton is a member of Troop 719. Despite icy conditions Dalton was able to gather a crew of boy scouts and provide the county park’s disc golf course with bag hangers, a luxury that many surrounding courses don’t have.

“I originally didn’t plan on my project being at the Yadkin County Park,” Dalton said. “But because of some complications that occurred with my original project, I learned about Yadkin resident Jeff Cape and the park. I’m so glad I decided on a project involving a sport I had never seriously tried. I’ve met some great, helpful people there and I fully intend on playing disc golf at the park as much as I can.”

Jeff Cape, an avid disc golfer, noted that many disc golfers will travel long distances just to play a game on a new course and that the posts Dalton installed are a rare find at most parks.

“None of the courses I have been to have such hangers,” Cape said. “I have only seen a picture of a course in Raleigh that has them. With all that has been done at Yadkin County Park, this will be the icing on the cake for our course.”

Dalton’s project consisted of making six by four foot posts with four hooks installed on each side. He and his fellow scouts, family and friends who volunteered mixed and poured concrete to place the posts at all 18 tees on the course.

“The volunteers that helped me benefit from community service hours that can be put college applications, job resumes, honors programs, etc.,” Dalton said. “They don’t get a badge directly from the project, but a requirement for certain ranks in scouting included having a certain amount of service hours.

“They all helped with everything from cutting the posts down to size, mixing concrete, making sure the posts we’re straight, to installing the hooks,” Dalton continued.

Dalton said that he hopes that this project will encourage more people to frequent the county’s disc golf course and help golfers prevent wear and tear on their disc bags and other equipment.

“I wanted this project to help the park gain popularity and attention from other golfers who aren’t regulars at the park, since there are only a handful of courses in the state with bag/equipment hangers,” Dalton said.

About disc golf

According to the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Replacing the clubs and golf balls are the player and a Frisbee.

According to PDGA.com, the sport got its start in the 1970s. The disc is thrown from a tee area and tries to hit an elevated metal basket.

Much like golf the player tries to hit the “hole” in as few throws as possible. There are terrain challenges such as shrubbery, trees and other landscape that make the game more difficult.

Disc golf is becoming a more popular sport as it often doesn’t require a membership to a course, there’s rarely a fee to play on the course and it doesn’t require purchase or rental of golf carts making it an affordable pastime.

To learn more about disc golf visit www.pdga.com. You can play your own round of disc golf by visiting the course at the county park located at 660 Service Rd. in Yadkinville.